Arusha — East African handicraft stakeholders are finalising negotiations with four International organisations to promote handicraft trade in the region.
The Netherlands Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries, Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA), the World Fair Trade Organisation and the USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub will jointly promote handicrafts.
That will be done through trade fairs in an initiative known as Source East Africa.
East Africa's geographical location has made it a melting pot of different cultures, resulting in a rich diversity of crafts skills and products.
Trade in handicrafts can create jobs in rural and peri-urban areas and add value to local raw materials.
Besides generating money, handicrafts can contribute to import substitution by providing locally produced product alternatives to imported ones.
"We need to start recognising the handicrafts sector as a key economic sector in the region that requires comprehensive support so that it can unfold its full potential," the CBI programme manager for the Export Coaching Programme in East Africa, Heidy van der Ploeg, said.
According to UNESCO, the handicrafts sector is the second largest employer in the developing world behind agriculture. The global crafts sector is valued at $34 billion annually and 65 per cent of global handicrafts exports come from developing countries. "We are delighted to be part of this trade fair as its success and benefits will lead us closer to achieving our objective of increasing the region's global exports," said the chief executive officer for TMEA, Frank Matseart.
He said Source East Africa is an international business platform that will consequently result in the creation of more jobs in the region and especially for women who are a major stakeholder in the crafts sector. Besides the demand on the export market, there is also a growing regional and domestic demand for home décor, fashion accessories and gifts.
A growing tourism sector in the region offers the potential to sell products to tourists through souvenir and gift shops. Many hotels and lodges, besides sourcing products for their own in-house gift shops also look for interior decoration products to decorate their houses in a "local design style" to enhance the experience for their guests.
There is also a growing middle and upper class in the region that appreciates good quality handicrafts. There is also the corporate sector that often sources products from this sector either to decorate their offices or as gifts to customers, especially during the holiday season.